They formed their first duo in 2006. After working as a trio for a period of time, they became a duo again in 2008 and quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with. They have continued to gain momentum, most recently performing their first solo live show and reaching the finals of the &#8220;ABC Comedy Grand Prix.
 What are the girls feeling behind their smooth sailing activities? We will get to know the true faces of the two girls, who have not been mentioned much until now, such as the inspiration they received from their two-on-one live performances, their seniors who saved the duo, their awareness of being female comedians, their favorite types of men, and their post-marriage activities.
<figure id="attachment_325949" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-325949" style="width: 6000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="442c46dc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/6d0de0957ab7b8cafd0c7175bb7ab35f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-325949" class="wp-caption-text"> Makoto (left) and Ai (PHOTO: SUGIZO) of &#8220;YONEDA 2000,&#8221; who have continued to gain momentum, most recently with the success of their first solo live performance and their entry into the finals of the &#8220;ABC Comedy Grand Prix.</figcaption></figure>
<h3> Contesting with Modern Times is like participating in a hero show!</h3>
 &#8211;Since last year, you have been consistently doing two-man shows with Pianist Genius, Ranjyatai, and others, haven&#8217;t you?
 Makoto: I am very happy that Amempi-san (a prodigy pianist) asked me to do a two-on-one live show with him. Makoto: I was very happy when Tempi-san (a genius pianist) asked me if I wanted to do a two man show with him. I think he probably chose us out of a lot of people, since we are in Osaka and Tokyo. When he said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s work hard together,&#8221; I thought, &#8220;Let&#8217;s work together. 
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 Ai: Ranjyatai liked us and invited us unilaterally, but he said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s do it again next time. He is really kind and we are incredibly grateful. 
 Makoto: Ranjyatai has been a great inspiration to me every time I&#8217;ve been with him, and I wonder what it was all about. Also, I always liked Modern Times. Watching rehearsals with Ai from the audience was interesting in itself (laughs).
 Ai: The rehearsal was really interesting, as was the performance. It was really interesting to see Modern-san being so serious. 
 Makoto: We also had the opportunity to do a unit comedy, and it was really like being in a hero show. I was like a hero in the show. and they said, &#8220;You can go up,&#8221; and I said, &#8220;I can do it with you. Yay! That&#8217;s how happy I was. That&#8217;s how happy I was.
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 Ai: It was also refreshing to do a full 60-minute unit comedy with Mr. Offlose. We haven&#8217;t done many scripted comedy acts before, and the number of acts we&#8217;ve done has been limited. Shunsuke Miyazaki started writing the script about two days before rehearsals began, and it was amazing how well it was completed even with the concept in mind.
 Makoto: It was amazing. There were delicious scenes for everyone. I really learned a lot from each of the two men, as they gave me completely different stimulation. 
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Who are your close comedians and seniors in your private life?"></div>
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<h3>If it weren&#8217;t for Ryudai, one term my senior, Yoneda 2000 would not be what it is today.</h3>
 &#8211;Ai: There are no individual comedians or senior comedians that I am close to in my private life, but I like them all.
 Ai: We don&#8217;t have many individual ones, but we like the same ones. 
 Makoto: There is a senior who we call our leader, Ryudai from Prison Quiz Channel, who is one term older than us. I don&#8217;t know what advice he gave me (laughs), but without him, we wouldn&#8217;t be where we are today. 
<figure id="attachment_325950" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-325950" style="width: 6000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e0658811"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/65e2a74b5baf1bd63ebfee7c3e9020df.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-325950" class="wp-caption-text"> There is a senior who we call our leader, Ryudai-san of the Prison Quiz Channel, who is one term older than us.</figcaption></figure>
 Ai: At some point, the system of Jimbocho (Yoshimoto Manzai Theater) was changed. Now it is divided into theater members and audition members, but until recently it was divided into four ranks, and we were in the second rank from the bottom.
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 The top two ranks are the theater members as they are, and only the lower rank, where we are, they told us that they would divide us into theater members or audition members after a live performance. We failed in that live performance and ended up as audition members. 
 I had confidence in my material and thought I could become a theater member, so I was a bit shocked that I had failed. At that time, Ryudai, a member of the theater, said to me, &#8220;Come here for a minute.
 Makoto: He held a kind of &#8220;encouragement meeting&#8221; for me. 
 Ai: &#8220;Encouragement meeting&#8221; (laughs). Well, he created such a place for us. Tatsudai-san made it a place where we could have fun without saying a word, or rather, he made us forget about it. 
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 Makoto: At the end, he would say, &#8220;Don&#8217;t worry. But now you are not a member of the theater (laugh).
 Ai: He is an audition member now (laughs). 
 Makoto: We had dinner together yesterday and it was fun. We were like, &#8220;(imitating Tatsudai&#8217;s tone) It&#8217;s our turn to do our best next time! 
 Ai: &#8220;(imitating Tatsuhiro&#8217;s tone) Wait for me! I was saved by Tatsudai, and I have loved him ever since then. 
 Makoto: I really hope you will be rewarded. I want to go anywhere with him again. 
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Are there any occasions when you are aware that you are a female comedian?"></div>
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<h3>We do the same thing as a male duo, and we do the same thing as a male-female duo.</h3>
 &#8211;Makoto: Is there ever a time when you are aware that you are female comedians?
 Makoto: Only when we have to change clothes in another place. I am really sorry to say, &#8220;It&#8217;s totally fine here. When I am told, &#8220;There is a place to change your clothes over there,&#8221; of course I head over there, but then I think, &#8220;Oh, there is a place to change my clothes over there. 
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 Also, I can&#8217;t wipe my face with a hand towel. Yesterday, when Zazy and I were there, we were given cold hand towels because it was hot. I thought for a moment, &#8220;Yay! I thought for a moment, but soon realized, &#8220;We can&#8217;t do that. I have a sensitive skin. But Zazy was wiping his face comfortably, so I thought to myself, &#8220;That&#8217;s nice. 
 &#8211;Makoto: I&#8217;ve never felt that way.
 Makoto: I have never felt that. &#8230;&#8230; I really see them as &#8220;human beings&#8221; (laughs). 
 Ai: I can&#8217;t do much about that kind of &#8220;awareness&#8221; (laughs). 
 Makoto: I wish I were smarter. If only I could stand up and say, &#8220;Since you are a female comedian, that spot is open right now. We are just living our lives. 
 Ai: We can&#8217;t do that.
 Makoto: We probably do the same thing with the male duo, and I think we probably do the same thing with the male-female duo, so maybe we don&#8217;t feel it so much. 
<figure id="attachment_325952" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-325952" style="width: 6000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="63f9b9b9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/aaf907f205894fe626b53b5820bccf29.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-325952" class="wp-caption-text"> Makoto: &#8220;When they say things like, &#8216;Oh, there&#8217;s a place to change your clothes over there,&#8217; of course I head over there, but then I think, &#8216;Oh, there&#8217;s a place to change my clothes over there.</figcaption></figure>
 &#8211;There was a time when it was said that female comedians were less interesting when they fell in love. Do you two seem to be unaffected?
 Ai: No (laughs). Rather, I think, &#8220;Let&#8217;s make them laugh. 
 Makoto: Cool! 
 Ai: Don&#8217;t you? (laughs) Because they are coming to the theater to see the show. 
 Makoto: You&#8217;re just a regular customer. 
 Ai: Yes, yes, yes! (laughs) &#8220;How was your day? (laugh) I can ask them how they liked it as a customer. I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll be too embarrassed. In fact, it might motivate me. If I was embarrassed, I would just ask them not to come. 
 Makoto: It&#8217;s funny even if it&#8217;s a slip-up. They would say something like, &#8220;It was very slippery, but you should go to &#8230;&#8230;&#8221; (laughs). I probably wouldn&#8217;t be embarrassed either.
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<h3> Basically, I like people because of their voices; I get an &#8220;aha&#8221; moment from a commercial and look up information about the actors.</h3>
 &#8211;Ai: Have you ever had the experience of liking someone while you were in school and not being able to talk to him or her?
 Ai: I often liked girls I got along well with, so I didn&#8217;t have to mend things too much. But when I was working part-time at a convenience store, I might have been embarrassed when talking to a regular customer I fell in love with (laughs). We hardly had any contact with them, and the only thing I would say to them was, &#8220;This product is delicious. 
 Makoto: How cute! It&#8217;s nice, isn&#8217;t it? 
 Ai: I like your voice like Shingo Katori. Sometimes it&#8217;s a little high and sometimes it&#8217;s low, but basically it&#8217;s high. Basically, I like a person&#8217;s voice. I don&#8217;t have a favorite person, but I think he has a good voice now. 
<figure id="attachment_325953" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-325953" style="width: 6000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="586155ce"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/8df59959700875a4436e5df4da4d34d8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-325953" class="wp-caption-text"> I like his voice like Shingo Katori. Sometimes it&#8217;s a little low, but basically it&#8217;s high.</figcaption></figure>
 Makoto: Ah~! Yes, yes. That sounds like the kind of voice you like. 
 Ai: Hahaha. I think I like that person. I&#8217;m quite interested in him. I don&#8217;t approach him at all, but I want to talk to him because I want to hear his voice. So I end up talking to him in vain (laughs). 
 Makoto: What a nuisance (laughs). 
 Ai: I think, &#8220;Oh, he&#8217;s here today. It also helps me improve my communication skills.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" I don&#39;t think about quitting even if I get married."></div>
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<h3>The ideal male image I recently found is Dragonfly from &#8220;The Witch&#8217;s Delivery Service</h3>
 &#8211;Makoto, have you ever had a one-sided love?
 Makoto: Probably not properly. So I don&#8217;t know what to do. &#8230;&#8230; I want to like someone as soon as possible.
 &#8211;I&#8217;ll be in trouble if they change leopard-like.
 Ai: Yes. Maybe it&#8217;s one or the other. I&#8217;m saying I&#8217;m fine with it. 
 Makoto: I&#8217;m probably fine (laughs). 
 Ai: &#8220;Probably&#8221; so. It could be really great. You never know, you know. 
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 Makoto: But I hear that &#8220;love is fun,&#8221; so I am looking forward to it. I haven&#8217;t experienced it yet. 
 Ai: I understand. I want to, too. 
 Makoto: Let&#8217;s work hard. Well, it&#8217;s not something to work hard for, but this kind of thing, you know. It would be nice if we could.
 &#8211;Do you have a type of person that you like?
 Makoto: Someone like the dragonfly in Ghibli&#8217;s &#8220;The Witch&#8217;s Delivery Service. I like the way he seriously tries to fly with a propeller on his bicycle. 
 Ai: He has a straight forward look&#8230;I found one recently. 
 Makoto: &#8220;This is good. Dragonflies, that&#8217;s my type. It actually flies, at the ending. 
<figure id="attachment_325954" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-325954" style="width: 6000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a0ff7cb8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/73bdc2633b0dbfed06b73721e5ff7f5e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-325954" class="wp-caption-text"> I can&#8217;t wait to fall in love with it.</figcaption></figure>
 (Makoto) &#8212; He was flying with the help of Kiki, the main character (laughs). Do you prefer to look like a dragonfly, too?
 Makoto: Oh, I really don&#8217;t look at the face or anything like that (laughs). Even if the dragonfly is square and has thin hair, as long as it is really trying to fly. I like the inside. 
 Ai: I like people who are dedicated to one thing. 
 Makoto: I don&#8217;t know if they are around, but I would like to meet a dragonfly once. 
 Ai: You can&#8217;t meet him, so. 
 Makoto: You&#8217;re right. &#8230;&#8230;.
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<h3> I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll quit even if I get married. I carry around a panel of my partner saying, &#8220;We&#8217;re a duo.&#8221;</h3>
 &#8211;I know it&#8217;s still a long way off, but do you want to continue the duo even if you get married?
 Ai: Yes, I do. I don&#8217;t think I would quit, there. 
 Makoto: If you love comedy all the time, I think you would want to continue with it. 
<figure id="attachment_325955" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-325955" style="width: 6000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4253e660"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/ecf1444c9dfd92929206d0d1ff74facd.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-325955" class="wp-caption-text"> I like people who stick to one thing.&#8221; (Ai)</figcaption></figure>
 &#8211;Makoto: I think that even if the members of Boru Juku, other than Hope Sakayori, decide to raise children, there is a sense of &#8220;let&#8217;s keep going&#8221; in the group.
 Makoto: Boru Juku is a very tight-knit group. There is a bond that probably cannot be compared to any other bond, so I think to myself, &#8220;If it&#8217;s those four of us, we can handle anything that comes our way. 
 Ai: That is seriously true. 
 Makoto: Like the four members of Powerful Girls. There is an absolute bond between the four of us. I think that is amazing.
 &#8211;There are four members in -Boru Juku, but if they are a duo, one of them is likely to work as a pin, isn&#8217;t that right?
 Ai: If they come back, hey?　I have to save a seat for that. 
 Makoto: I might carry something with me the whole time, like (farewell comedian) Shinichi-san&#8217;s trophy. 
 Ai: I was just thinking that too. I was thinking of making a panel of Makoto. 
 Makoto: That sounds great. If you press a few buttons, you could sneeze (laughs). 
 Ai: (laughs). I like that kind of feeling. I want people to know that we are a duo, rather than just one person. 
<figure id="attachment_325956" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-325956" style="width: 6000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="80167f51"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/596b3ff566bb59b686ad11bbe166638c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-325956" class="wp-caption-text"> I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll quit (even if I get married),&#8221; (Ai) and &#8220;If you love comedy all the time, I think you&#8217;ll want to keep doing it.</figcaption></figure>

 Freelance editor/writer. Formerly a band member and broadcaster. Loves all kinds of entertainment. Published "Shimura Ken Theory" (Asahi Shinbun Publishing) in April 2021. Currently updating his personal website, "Immortal Writing Blues. http://s-akira.jp/

 Asahi Suzuki

 Sugizo

 Behind the smooth sailing of their activities, what are Makoto and Ai of "Yoneda 2000" feeling now? We will get to know their true faces, which have not been mentioned much until now, such as their awareness of being female comedians, the type of men they like, and their post-marriage activities.

I like you by your voice”, “I want to meet a dragonfly once”… Yoneda 2000 talks about female comedians, love and marriage.

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